Barry Sonnenfeld has made a zinger of a statement that is a good point of discussion. He claims that the internet will destroy democracy – we get wind of this story from the fabled caves of Yahoo:
The Internet has Barry Sonnenfeld freaked out. “I fear the Internet for so many reasons,” the director of the “Men in Black” movies said Tuesday during a speech at the National Associatio.n of Broadcasters. “The medium is the message, and the medium has invaded our home and taken over our minds. . . . The really scary part is how hypnotic it is. The ‘Net is so pervasive that kids are on it all day.”
Sonnenfeld fears that children today will grow up with “no concept of the right to privacy and in fact not understand the need for it. Because the Facebook generation is not concerned with what people know about them . . . they will have no problem with additional governmental supervision, spying and intervention. They will be thrilled that the Internet will be able to follow their every move.
“I suspect,” he said, “we are probably looking at the last generation of Americans that exist in a democracy. Totalitarianism is not far in our future, and the next generation will go down that road happily.
The internet is the greatest tool for free speech ever created, the world can share their thoughts, fears, dreams, and desires. The internet is the most democratic forum that has ever existed (and will stay that way so long as governments and corporations keep their dirty controlling hands out of it). It’s a place where the people of the world can come together as friends and celebrate their similarities; I would argue that it is breaking down walls between us – and that is always a positive in my books.
I can see Sonnenfeld’s cause for concern with social networking sites. Truth be told, it’s far too easy to get information about you online. Social networking sites are fun; but the information is no doubt farmed, tabulated, crunched and sold to ad agencies. Those who are uncomfortable with others knowing their business should simply avoid these sites, or better yet; put up outlandish and blatantly fraudulent information.
I agree that privacy isn’t what it used to be, but I disagree that we have a generation of people that will welcome government surveillance and control. No one wants the government in their business; social networking sites are not a gateway drug that leads to totalitarian rule.
The net is addictive, it is fun, and we are on it a lot; but it is an interactive media that stimulates thought. In fact, most people sacrifice TV viewing in order to spend time online. Television is a box that shouts at you and you have no say in the matter, it’s known for the idiot box for a reason; if the internet is the crutch we needed to get away from the tractor beam of that retard-factory then so be it!
I bet dollars to doughnuts that the internet generation will bring about more positive change than the one before it. Television entertains you in order to get you to watch commercials. Commercials berate you and make you feel like a sack of shit unless you obtain, consume and collect. We buy what we are told like hypnotized zombies and attribute quality to logos that are made in sweatshops?
The internet may be scary to some, but it is freedom. Freedom to make stupid decisions, freedom to put up too much information about yourself and freedom to share your thoughts without some cunt telling you that it isn’t appropriate. It has been called the wild west, and this cowboy is quite comfortable here.
International friends, please share your thoughts on the internet.
